Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded to Three Optogenetics Pioneers
In short
Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said on Oct 5 local time that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, a technique that uses light to switch individual neurons on and off. The three share prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, about 1.6 billion won. Korean researchers said the method has become indispensable in brain science and is also being used in research aimed at restoring vision.
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The Nobel Committee at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said on Oct 5 local time that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University in the United States, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg in Germany. The committee cited their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics, the technique that uses light to switch individual nerve cells on or off. [ 3 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 29 , 37 ]
Korean reports described optogenetics as a combination of genetic engineering and optics: a light-responsive protein is expressed in selected neurons, and light of a specific wavelength then activates or suppresses those cells. The committee said optogenetics “caused a big stir in the global scientific community”, and that it made it possible to identify the neural circuits behind memory, emotion and behaviour. [ 9 , 16 , 22 , 23 , 37 ]
The committee traced the work to Hegemann's curiosity about how the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas swims toward light. In the early 2000s he and Nagel identified channelrhodopsin, a protein on the alga's cell surface that opens a channel in the membrane when blue light falls on it. They confirmed that putting the protein into other cells made those cells respond to light as well. Deisseroth carried the work further: in 2005 he inserted the channelrhodopsin gene into mouse neurons and produced nerve signals with blue light, and in 2007 he made the light switch work inside the brain of a living mouse. [ 9 , 22 , 29 , 30 , 37 ]
The reports said the technique is now used in laboratories around the world, including research on memory, emotion, movement and reward and on neurological and psychiatric conditions. Chosun Ilbo said the work allowed the causes of dementia and Parkinson's disease to be identified, and that deep brain stimulation treatment for Parkinson's symptoms could be improved. Newsis reported that researchers have tried to give light sensitivity to remaining retinal cells in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, with some studies reporting restored visual function, citing Kim Ki-hyun, an ophthalmology professor at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. ZDNet Korea said optogenetics is mainly used at the research stage and should be distinguished from clinical treatment that controls the human brain with light. [ 23 , 26 , 37 , 39 ]
Heo Won-do, a life sciences professor at KAIST, said the research made it possible to control nerve cell activity with light alone, and that optogenetics has become indispensable in brain science and is being used to overcome visual impairment. Yonhap reported that Deisseroth took the congratulatory call at home early in the morning and said his immediate task was packing his children's school lunches; Korea Economic Daily carried the same remark. [ 9 , 31 , 34 ]
The three laureates share prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, about 1.6 billion won, and receive a medal and diploma. The committee will announce the physics prize on Oct 6, chemistry on Oct 7, literature on Oct 8, peace on Oct 9 and economics on Oct 12. Outlets differed on the laureates' ages: Kyunghyang Shinmun and Dong-A Ilbo listed Deisseroth as 55, Hegemann as 72 and Nagel as 73, while Chosun Ilbo listed Deisseroth as 54 and Hegemann as 71. [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 15 , 26 , 29 , 37 ]
Why it matters
Optogenetics is described in the documents as a technique that changed how researchers study the brain: it allows selected neurons to be switched on or off rather than only observed, and it is linked to research on memory, emotion, Parkinson's disease and vision loss. That gives the award significance beyond the ceremony for neuroscience laboratories, including in Korea, where researchers were quoted calling the technique indispensable. No document states any direct commercial or clinical consequence of the prize itself.
Key facts
- The Nobel Committee at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said on Oct 5 local time that Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. [ 3 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 29 ]
- The committee cited their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. [ 11 , 12 , 15 , 18 , 29 , 37 ]
- Optogenetics uses light-responsive proteins to activate or suppress selected nerve cells in living brains. [ 16 , 22 , 23 , 37 ]
- Hegemann and Nagel identified the protein channelrhodopsin in single-celled algae, and Deisseroth used it to control mouse neurons with blue light in 2005 and in living mice in 2007. [ 9 , 22 , 29 , 30 ]
- The laureates share prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor, about 1.6 billion won, and also receive a medal and diploma. [ 9 , 11 , 15 ]
- The physics, chemistry, literature, peace and economics prizes will be announced on Oct 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 respectively. [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 29 , 37 ]
- KAIST life sciences professor Heo Won-do said optogenetics has become an indispensable technique in brain science and is being used to overcome visual impairment. [ 9 ]
- Yonhap reported that Deisseroth received the prize call at his home early in the morning and said his immediate task was packing his children's school lunches. [ 31 , 34 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Nobel Committee at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet named Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg as the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureates, for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. [ 3 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 15 , 16 , 29 , 30 , 37 ]
- Hegemann and Nagel identified the light-responsive protein channelrhodopsin in single-celled algae, and Deisseroth developed it into a tool that turns mouse neurons on with blue light, including in living mice. [ 9 , 22 , 29 , 30 , 37 ]
- The prize money is 12 million Swedish kronor, divided equally among the three laureates. [ 9 , 11 , 15 , 37 ]
- The award was announced on Oct 5 local time, with the remaining 2026 prizes to follow on Oct 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12. [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 16 , 29 , 37 ]
Still unclear
- Outlets gave different ages for the laureates: Kyunghyang Shinmun and Dong-A Ilbo reported Deisseroth as 55, Hegemann as 72 and Nagel as 73, while Chosun Ilbo reported Deisseroth as 54 and Hegemann as 71. The documents do not reconcile the ages, and two tier-1 outlets give different figures, so the discrepancy is left standing.
- Whether optogenetics is already used to treat people is described differently: several outlets said it is used in clinical medicine to try to restore vision in people with visual impairment, while ZDNet Korea said the technique is mainly used at the research stage and should be distinguished from clinical treatment that controls the human brain with light. Both descriptions appear in the coverage and no document settles what is currently approved for patients.
- Korean outlets began publishing the result from 18:35 local time, while a Kukmin Ilbo breaking headline naming the winners appeared at 09:42 local time. The documents do not explain the timing difference or give the exact hour of the announcement in Swedish local time.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kukmin Ilbo publishes a breaking-news headline saying the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine went to three laureates including Karl Deisseroth for pioneering optogenetics. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap issues its first flash naming the three laureates. [ 3 ]
- Korea Economic Daily reports the award with the optogenetics citation in its headline. [ 4 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes a detailed account of the research, quoting KAIST professor Heo Won-do. [ 9 ]
- Yonhap issues a comprehensive report on how optogenetics revealed the brain's secrets. [ 21 ]
- Yonhap reports that Deisseroth took the congratulatory call at home early in the morning and said he had to pack his children's lunches. [ 31 ]
- Yonhap publishes an explainer on optogenetics and the outlook for disease treatment. [ 32 ]